Hunter drowns while chasing buck

Allegations of trespassing and hunting without a permit will also be investigated by the police.

Police in KwaZulu-Natal have opened an inquest docket after a man, believed to be in his 30s, drowned while chasing a pregnant buck at the weekend.

Ezinqoleni police received a report from a woman that a relative of hers had drowned in a dam in private game reserve in the Ezinqoleni area late on Sunday, South Coast Herald reported.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Zandra Wiid said the woman went to the police after three other men told her that they were all hunting in the area when they spotted a pregnant buck, which they chased.

“The buck ran into the water and the four hunters, with their dogs, followed,” she explained.

Three of the hunters emerged but the fourth disappeared beneath the water. According to the men, the buck also drowned.

On Monday morning, members from Port Shepstone K9 Search and Rescue Unit went to the scene and retrieved the body.

Wiid said that allegations of trespassing and hunting without a permit would also be investigated by the police.